Intra-party rancour led to PDP loss in Lagos in 2015, says PDP chieftain

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Amos Olayinka, on Sunday said the party lost the governorship seat in Lagos in 2015 because of internal rancour.

Olayinka told newsmen that intra party rancour affected the ability of members to monitor and protect the party’s governorship poll in 2015.

Olayinka, who said he founded the PDP in Lagos with Chief Dapo Sarumi, expressed hope that Mr Jimi Agbaje and the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, would win in 2019 elections.

“There is no more friction in Lagos PDP. No rancour anymore. Disagreements happen but we will never again allow it to degenerate to the point of affecting our lot in the 2019 general elections.

“We know the under currents that made Agbaje to lose the election in 2015. We will not let it happen again,” he said.

He said that the party had gone back to the grassroots because it realised that it had to do a thorough homework in order to win the elections not only in Lagos but nationwide.

According him, underrating Agbaje will be the worst mistake anyone or party will make in the upcoming guber polls.

On PDP’s loss to the APC in Lagos over the years, Olayinka said that “the myth of perpetuation in office is not founded on constables.”

“It’s about 90 days to the 2019 general elections, I wish to seek the support of Nigerians and Lagosians for Atiku and Agbaje.

“I am committed to the PDP. I will remain in PDP and I believe that Atiku and Agbaje will provide purposeful leadership for Nigeria and Lagos,” he said.

He said Nigerians should jettison sentiments and lies against Atiku, describing the PDP flagbearer as a man with pedigree who was in the system for eight years and influenced economic policies still enjoyed by Nigerians.

The PDP stalwart also reiterated calls for Nigeria to restructure, insisting that regionalism would create checks and balances as well as reduce corruption.

He said that 2019 would be decided by individuals standing for the election rather than their parties, pointing out that Nigerians want to vote based on a person’s pedigree but not for a party. (NAN)

N45m nomination fees: Presidential aspirant drags APC, PDP, INEC to court

A People’s rights activist and an All Progressives Congress Presidential aspirant, Mr Christmas Akpodiete, has dragged the ruling All Progressives Congress, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the People’s Democratic Party, and order registered political parties before the Federal  High  Court, sitting in Abuja over the high cost of nomination fees charged by the political parties.

His case is marked with Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/951/2018.

The presidential aspirant is asking the court to restrain the APC and the PDP from going ahead with the scheduled primaries and if they do, he’s asking the court to declare such primaries null and void.

Akpodiete is also asking the court to restrain INEC from recognising such primaries, pending the determination of the substantial suit.

Akpodiete is of the opinion that the nomination fees charged by the political parties were not only ridiculous and unaffordable, but also unconstitutional.

“The nomination fees are repugnant to the rules of natural justice, equity and good conscience.”

“It’s an attempt by the Nigerian political oligarchs to make nonsense of the just passed Not-too-Young-to- Run law, and it is a calculated move to deprive the Nigerian people their constitutionally guaranteed right to run for public offices in their own country,”  Akpodiete said.

Akpodiete is asking the court to give a judicial breath to this matter by pegging the nomination fees for all elective positions at N18, 000 because according to him, that is the minimum wage.

Akpodiete is also praying the court that if the nomination fees are beyond that amount, the ordinary Nigerian worker who earns N18, 000 monthly would be deprived the capacity to achieve their constitutionally guaranteed right, which includes the right to run for public office.

Lawyer to the aspirant, Mr F.B Ehikioya, said, “The action is based on a breach of the fundamental human right of all Nigerian aspirants and any attempt to keep the Nigerian people down shall be collectively rejected.”

Recall that Akpodiete had earlier written to the APC Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, appealing to the party to jettison the nomination fees or keep them within the minimum wage but his complaint was not addressed; hence the action.

The case is awaiting a hearing.

PDP WILL PRODUCE PRESIDENT IN 2019, SAYS SARAKI

Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki yesterday said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would win the 2019 general election and produce a new president for the country.

He stated this in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, while addressing ward and local council delegates from the old and new members of the PDP in the state during a harmonisation meeting held at the Government House Banquet Hall.

Saraki, who said confidently that ‘the future is better and brighter than the past,’ promised to ensure cohesion between the old and new party members in the state.

He assured the delegates that he would only support the best and the most popular candidates among the people.

Besides, he warned party elders and other structures against dropping his name in the contest.

“In 2019, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will produce the president. If we emerge victorious at the federal level, all of us will be the beneficiaries. In the state, with your support, we will win the state too. All of you here are the key players in Kwara politics. With unity of purpose, no party can contest with you.

“We are here to unite all of us under the party we belong to today. I am assuring all members that there will be equity, internal democracy and justice. It is not going to be winners take all. As far as I am concerned, everybody here today belongs to our political structure. There is nothing like old or new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). We have all become one PDP.

“I am very sure that the future is bigger and brighter than the past. I want all of us to be united for the progress and development of Kwara State. Where we are today as far as I am concerned, all of you belong to me. As per the politics of the state, nobody can wrest the power from us if we are united. By the grace of us in the forthcoming elections, we will emerge victorious both at the federal and state levels.

“We will ensure that we work as one party, because we have always worked together before. We will see that all the wards and local councils’ popular candidates emerge based on their popularity and acceptability. I want to emphasis it that I don’t have any anointed candidate at all levels. I don’t have candidates for state Assembly, it is the person you want in your constituency that I will okay. Don’t allow anybody to deceive you that I have endorsed any candidate.

“I implore party leaders and elders not to drop my name to impose unpopular candidates. I don’t have candidate for the National Assembly. All of us will collectively choose who becomes the next governor. There will be equity, internal democracy and justice.

“We will ensure that there is no faction but one PDP.”

Meanwhile, a newly-formed pressure group, the Draft Saraki Movement (DSM), yesterday gave Saraki a seven-day ultimatum to contest the 2019 presidential election.

It also said his refusal to decline or heed the call will mean a great disservice to the populace.

In a communique issued in Abuja and signed by its National Coordinator and Secretary, Abdallah Maiyaki Anas and Ephraim Egbuojah Japheth respectively, the movement stated that given Saraki’s pedigree and sacrifice in standing with the Nigerian people despite all forms of intimidation, his wealth of experience in public service will turnaround the act of governance in the country.

The group said the uncommon leadership qualities exhibited by Saraki had not only endeared him to the Nigerian electorate, but gave hope to the common man.

Lai: Why Buhari does not share money like PDP leaders

Lai Mohammed, minister of information, says the current administration does not “share money” because it is focused on infrastructural development.
He said the federal government prefers to invest in infrastructure that would have ripple effects on the economy than “sharing money to people and political stooges like the previous administration did.”
The minister said this on Friday while inspecting the rehabilitated Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road project in Niger state.
According to him, “people are complaining of no money and high cost of living, but I want to tell you that it would have been worse today but for the massive infrastructural development this government is investing on.’’
He added: “We are not a government that will share money like what others did which put the country in a mess.
“This government believes in investing in infrastructure because if you get this rightly, it will translate to wealth creation.”
Mohammed also said people complaining about lack of money in circulation “easily forget that for 16 years, one political party was in power, sharing money, when this road became completely failed.”
The minister said the road project was awarded by the previous administration in 2013 but was only 15 percent completed when the current government came in.
“Let us take for instance, if this road contract costs N10 billion and we share it to political stooges in this area at N1 million each, we will only give 1,000 people and there will be no road,” he said.
“At the long run, those that we share the money to will join in abusing the government of non-performance.
“On our part, we will rather slowly and painstakingly revive our economy through infrastructural development and we have a lot of stories to tell on this.”

CREDIT : THE CABLE